International Rescue Committee’s Post

The IRC strongly condemns today's attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv. No child should grow up under the threat of missile strikes or be at risk of dying amidst the rubble of hospitals, which are meant to be safe havens for healing and recovery. Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, the WHO has recorded nearly 1,700 attacks on healthcare facilities in Ukraine. Our medical teams witness the daily toll of fighting on people who are unable to seek much needed care in hospitals reduced to rubble, reach the nearest pharmacy due to ongoing fighting, or simply afford much-needed medicines. A recent survey conducted by the IRC in frontline areas found that: 🚑 1 in 10 people in Ukraine cannot access critical healthcare. 💊 54% of respondents struggle to afford medication for themselves or their family 🧠 15% said mental health care is a pressing issue This underscores the continued need for mental health support, as issues like stress, anxiety, and fear for personal safety prevail close to the frontlines and among first responders. Footage via Suspilne Ukraine

With the onset of 2024 and the fast-approaching second-year mark since russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, attacks on hospitals and medical facilities in the country persist, resulting in the loss of medical staff and harm to patients. War damage, insecurity, and a shortage of staff are among the most common reasons cited for the lack of functionality of health facilities in Ukraine, especially in frontline oblasts. According to the latest report from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, attacks on hospitals and medical facilities continue unabated. The health cluster reported (as of October 31, 2023) a total of 1356 attacks on healthcare recorded since February 24, 2022. The danger of casualties and damage due to hospital attacks can also disrupt power supply, further jeopardizing patients. Of particular concern are bedridden patients, those with severe disabilities, or chronic illnesses, making it challenging to move them to bunkers for their safety. Data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that over 50% of global healthcare attacks from February 2022 to October 2023 occurred in Ukraine, severely limiting access to medical services in many frontline areas. In the face of such widespread destruction, WHO has underlined the urgent need for comprehensive reconstruction. For more information, see "Ukrainian Crisis Situational Analysis (19 December 2023): https://lnkd.in/d7qezGZM #StandWithUkraine

https://lnkd.in/e8hD-kFV Perspective from Global Palliative Care Physicians in The Lancet: The Israel–Hamas conflict amplifies the dire need for access to morphine and other essential palliative care medicines included on WHO's Model Lists of Essential Medicines to alleviate serious health-related suffering in a timely and effective manner during humanitarian crises. The global palliative care community recognises such access as a matter of preserving human dignity and a moral obligation to relieve serious health-related suffering for the most vulnerable people (eg, babies, children, pregnant women, older people, people with disabilities, and people with serious illness and injury) in the face of escalating violence and armed conflict. I really appreciate The Lancet consistently providing a neutral platform for the international medical community to raise awareness of the dire population and mental health consequences of armed conflict and mass displacement. #ceasefirenow #stopthegenocide

Mpox was just declared a 𝘨𝘭𝘰𝘣𝘢𝘭 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 by WHO. Is another pandemic going to strike? Have we learnt our lessons from COVID19? Many people got into financial stress when COVID19 hit badly on us, where companies had to close down, manpower reduction had to take place, cost savings programs had to be accelerated. Who are usually the ones suffering at the end of the day? 𝗬𝗢𝗨, if you don't plan well for the future. ❓do you have an 𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺 𝘧𝘶𝘯𝘥 to tide you through? ❓do you know how much you 𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘯𝘥 every month? Are you keeping track? ❓in the event you or your loved one needs hospitalisation due to another illness, are you ready to fork out that 𝘭𝘶𝘮𝘱 𝘴𝘶𝘮 in view of rising medical costs? With the above questions in mind, isn't it scary if there's a 'no' to any of them? 😳

The Israel-Gaza war has set several world records. It’s the deadliest conflict for journalists in 30 years. It has caused the largest single loss of life for United Nations staff in the history of the organisation. It is set to have the worst ever total number of attacks on healthcare facilities and their personnel, and has devastated schools, with 51% of education facilities damaged. International rules such as the Geneva conventions have not been respected: hospitals and ambulances have been targeted, medical relief organisations such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Save the Children are under attack, and have lost staff members. Tragically, the nearly unprecedented death and injury we have seen so far is likely to only be the beginning. From looking at similar conflicts across the world, public health experts know that we are likely to see more children dying from preventable disease than from bullets and bombs. While the Israeli government has spoken about safe zones for families to flee to, these aren’t anywhere near what we would consider safe public health zones. They don’t have clean water, functional sanitation and toilets, enough food, or trained medical staff with medicine and equipment. These are the basic needs that any human, especially babies

The Israel-Gaza war has set several world records. It’s the deadliest conflict for journalists in 30 years. It has caused the largest single loss of life for United Nations staff in the history of the organisation. It is set to have the worst ever total number of attacks on healthcare facilities and their personnel, and has devastated schools, with 51% of education facilities damaged. International rules such as the Geneva conventions have not been respected: hospitals and ambulances have been targeted, medical relief organisations such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Save the Children are under attack, and have lost staff members. Tragically, the nearly unprecedented death and injury we have seen so far is likely to only be the beginning. From looking at similar conflicts across the world, public health experts know that we are likely to see more children dying from preventable disease than from bullets and bombs. While the Israeli government has spoken about safe zones for families to flee to, these aren’t anywhere near what we would consider safe public health zones. They don’t have clean water, functional sanitation and toilets, enough food, or trained medical staff with medicine and equipment. These are the basic needs that any human, especially babies

New AQ: Out Now! #HepatitisB is a silent killer even in Australia. In the new AQ, Dr Thomas Tu (@thatliverguy) discusses 'Treating People, not just a Virus: Cure, Community, and Collaboration for Hep B' Each year 800,000 people die from the virus and related complications. In Australia, the disease burden is carried by primarily indigenous communities, refugees, and migrants – the people historically marginalised from the medical system. More needs to be done to get governments, companies, and communities to tackle the world’s least understood public health crisis. Find out more in the new AQ: https://buff.ly/47kUKN2 Or subscribe for a year for only $28! https://buff.ly/3TG4wWR

https://lnkd.in/e5_cmDsg - Introducing our latest article from Ukraine... after 18 months of war, more than 1500 verified attacks on health care were reported. Patterns show how the burden of attacks was high and sustained over this period, and that deaths and injuries of health care workers and patients were associated with a set of high-casualty incidents. Health transports were found to be particularly vulnerable to face casualties resulting from attacks. Most importantly, though, behind each number there is a story. Each of these >1500 attacks represents a loss of access to health care for the population, a loss of investment in health care, and in many cases a loss of life for health care workers and patients. Most of all, each attack emphasises: health care is always #NotATarget